Sprinklers and Nightmares
by speedreader1999
Summary: Natasha yelped and my mouth parted to warn the rest of the gang, but everyone was already drenched. I grabbed Natasha, wrapped my hands around her lower back and pulled us away into the hallway, where there were fewer sprinklers. She put her head to my chest and I let of a sigh of relief. *Clintasha, Complete*
1. Chapter 1

_A searing pain in my side caused me to squeeze my eyes shut, my breath slowing. Even then I struggled against my bonds, blurs in front of my eyes._

_ Screaming echoed throughout the small enclosure and I winced at the sudden sound. Then I froze. "Tasha," I muttered. That was her scream._

_ I struggled even harder. "Tasha," I screamed. "Tash-"_

_ A low laugh came to my ears, and I suddenly couldn't talk. "Clinton," the voice said. "How I've missed you. Did you miss me?"_

_ I snarled. "Loki."_

_ The figure moved from the shadows, revealing the god with an odd expression on his face. "Indeed, young archer. But now I have leverage." He motioned a hand._

_ Natasha appeared as if in a mist. I looked her over carefully; she was bloodied and bruised, but nothing seemed permanent. The rage was only fueled. "Let her go!"_

_ Loki drew closer to my partner and reached out a long finger, stroking her cheek. Natasha flinched. "Stop it," she said. Her voice was not herself; it sounded weak and pitiful._

_ Without warning a knife appeared out of nowhere and Loki stabbed it into her stomach. She cried out in pain and her invisible bonds released her. She crumpled to the ground and lay there, still._

_ My eyes widened. "No," I whispered. "No!"_

_ Loki laughed. "I have taken what is greatest from you; what will you do now? You are helpless." The god began to circle. I struggled against his chains. It suddenly felt ten times tighter as Loki clicked his tongue. "Oh archer, when will you ever learn? I always win."_

_ I stared at Natasha's limp and lifeless body, and a wave of pain hit me. My vision turned red. "No… she's not dead! She can't be killed!"_

_ Loki shook his head. "So naïve. If only you had stayed under my control… she would still be alive. She wouldn't have died because of you, just like so many others…"_

_My heart burned._

I shot up, sweating and fear rushing through me. Without a second thought I thought I threw off the heavy comforter and bolted out of my room, leaving the door ajar behind me.

The hallway was dark and there were many doors, but my destination was the one at the end of them all. I reached it and grasped the metal handle, throwing it open.

I was greeted with a soft breeze, fluttering the white curtains. I rushed to her beside but she didn't awake. For a moment I stood there, watching her sleep.

My heart rate grew back to normal and I nearly collapsed in relief. _Not dead. She's alive._

There was a faint rustling and her green eyes flew open. She sat up in surprise, confusion coming over her face. "Clint? What are you doing in here?"

I just stared at her. _I never thought I'd see those green eyes again… _"I… nightmare… you died."

Natasha gently grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a sitting position on her bed. Then she moved her hand up my arm and to my cheek, gently brushing it with her thumb. "It's okay, Clint," she said gently. "I'm right here. Nightmares are nightmares. They aren't real."

I nodded, but my eyes never left hers. There was silence for a moment, then she lifted up the covers. "Come on."

I slid in next to her, capturing her small body in my arms. She was surprisingly cool, but her touch sent fire to me. My head dropped against the black pillows and she pulled the blanket over us, her back to me.

I held on tight, afraid I was going to lose her.

* * *

When I woke, pale sunlight streamed, even through my eyelids. I cracked them open and my breathing became even as I adjusted to waking up.

I tilted my head so I could see the sleeping redhead by my side. We were pressed up against eachother in a similar position to last night, but our hands were intertwined, her pale skin peeking out against my slightly darker skin.

She stirred and I froze, afraid she would wake up and ruin the moment. When her body loosened again I breathed out a sigh of relief.

My arms tightened around her waist and pulled her closer to me. Our hands were now on the same pillow, the top of her head tucked into the crook of my neck. It was peaceful.

I started to rub my thumb over our intertwined hands. "Tasha," I said quietly so she wouldn't wake. "In my dream… you died. Loki killed you and I couldn't do a damn thing about it.

"I was so scared… it made me realize something. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. You keep me alive, you're the reason I wake up every morning. I couldn't stand to lose you. Ever. I need to promise something." I listened for her soft breathing, then continued.

"I'm never going to leave you. Never, not in a million years. Even when we both grow old and die, I'm never going to leave you."

I jumped slightly when a small chuckle ran through the body of the person inside me. "I don't think we're going to live to be old. Not with our profession."

I cursed, causing Natasha to laugh again. I was silently punishing myself for not paying closer attention to her. I knew her breathing patterns, so why didn't I pay attention? _Idiot! _

She gently moved away from me and flipped over so our faces were inches apart, her breath mingling with mine. "Clint," she started, but when I moved my hand to tuck a scarlet curl out of her face, she paused.

I moved my hand to another curl and pulled it, gently of course. "Don't ever cut your hair."

A brief chuckle sent a light brush of air across my face and I took a deep breath, trying to control every thought that was running through my head. Ever instinct demanded that I should kiss her now, but I resisted to the best of my ability. That would ruin our partnership.

A light blush started creeping up her neck and onto her cheek, something that shocked me out of my thoughts. "Hey," I teased. "Is the famous Black Widow… blushing?"

A sharp pain in my abdomen answered my question. I groaned and rolled off the bed- on purpose, of course- and landed hard on the floor, sending a shock wave through the floor that I was sure was heard throughout Stark tower.

I blinked to get the fuzziness creeping along the edge of my vision, only to see a smiling face leaning over the edge of the bed. For emphasis, I made a noise at the back of my throat. "You're evil, you know that?"

A flicker of mischief was in her eyes, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. "I try my best. Now, I'm starving." She slid down to the floor, placing her knees on my shoulders. Her vibrant hair spilled down like a curtain, covering her face to all but me.

I could barely breath, only stared. Her green eyes held no mischief, but I was sure she was playing some kind of game. The hint of a smile came on the corners of her lips.

The moment was running by my stomach growling, and I cursed while she laughed. "Well, isn't someone hungry?"

She reached a hand out and ran it through my dirty-blond hair, over and over. After a few strokes she stopped and rested her hand on the top of my head.

Green eyes met blue, and there was a moment of silence before she leaned her head down and I brought mine up a bit, so our foreheads touched. I propped myself up on one elbow and brought my rough hand up, placing it on her cheek.

It was moments like these that I wished lasted forever. However, the smell of smoke reached me, and by the look on Natasha's face, she had smelled it too.

Within a flash both of us were up- luckily we were dressed moderately, me in pajama pants and a faded, white shirt, her in a black tank top and long sweatpants- and running towards the smell. Most people would have run away, but we sure as hell weren't most people.

I skidded to a halt and felt Natasha do the same behind me. Then she slipped around me and we both stared at the scene in front of us.

Tony was at the stove, desperately trying to put of a flickering fire. Steve was nearby, being smart and grabbing the fire extinguisher near the fridge, but by the look on his face, he didn't know how to use it. Bruce was just sitting on an armchair, reading the newspaper with the calmest expression that I had seen in a while.

I fought the urge to laugh and glanced over at Natasha, who was doing to same. Tony caught sight of us and glared. "Are you going to help, or not?"

Just then the sprinklers went off.

Natasha yelped and my mouth parted to warn the rest of the gang, but everyone was already drenched. I grabbed Natasha, wrapped my hands around her lower back and pulled us away into the hallway, where there were fewer sprinklers. She put her head to my chest and I let of a sigh of relief.

The water continued coming down, but my only focus was the woman clinging to my front. Her hands were on the collar of my shirt and we were both still dripping wet, but her body was burning. I reached up a hand and brushed a curl out of her face, brushing my fingers against her forehead.

Her chin had tilted up and she watching me carefully, her fingers still clutching my collar. _If the rest of the Avengers saw us,_ I thought, _they would defiantly think something was going on between us. _I smirked. "When do you think Tony will have the sense to ask Jarvis to turn off the sprinklers?"

The smell of smoke had faded by now, but the quirk of a smile came to Natasha's lips. "I'll give it ten minutes."

"Deal," I said, and we waited there until- ten minutes later- Tony yelled for Jarvis.


	2. Chapter 2

The limo pulled smoothly up to the fancy building and I peeked out the window, marveling at the large glass. It was impressive, yes, but Stark tower had it beat.

Apparently Tony, who was sitting across from me, had to same thoughts. "You know," he said thoughtfully. "If they had moved the windows up a little more… then made wider arches…"

Steve cleared his throat. "Tony, we're here on a mission, not to judge the structure."

Bruce made a noise in agreement, while Nat stayed silent. I glanced at her leaning against my chest. Her curls, normally so bouncy and soft, were straightened, and for the first time I truly realized how long her hair was. I knew that she loved missions where she got to dress up and pretend she was someone else, a person who didn't have a care in the world. That was why, I thought, she had chosen the dress that she was wearing perfectly for this mission.

When she had dragged me out to go shopping with her, I had complained and groaned, saying Pepper could go with her. But as soon as we reached the shop and she was ushered into the dressing room and came out in the first dress, my mind was quickly changed. In fact, all thoughts had gone out of my mind. The theme of the dance was eighteen-hundreds for the women and black tie for the men, so Natasha had a harder time picking this one out. But she had chosen perfectly.

The dress was a floor length, cream dress with embroidery down the middle. It was partly strapless with straps wrapping around her upper arms, but they slid down slightly whenever she moved. The embroidery was a little darker than the dress itself, but matched perfectly with roses decorating it. A gold layered necklace slid down her neck, stopping just before the dress started. It wasn't an outfit Natasha would have normally chosen, but I'm glad she did. She looked, for lack of a better word, like a princess.

The limo doors opened and Natasha lifted her head from my chest. I stepped out and turned, holding out a hand for her. I could see her rolling her eyes as I did, but stayed silent- whether it was because of the mission or because she liked the attention, I will never know.

Her delicate hand grasped mine and I helped her out of the car. The moment she stepped into the sight of everyone, I noticed every single man staring, while their dates glared in jealously. I fought I urge to clench my fists as something coiled in my stomach.

Apparently Nat noticed this, and gently poked my side, so discreet I barely even knew she did it, let alone the rest of the people seeing. "Relax," she said tenderly. "It's just a ball. Just another mission."

The rest of the Avengers had now gotten out of the car, but I was the only one who caught the last not of bitterness in her voice. Before I had chance to question she was on my arm and I led her towards the door, the rest of the team slightly sulkily that they didn't have dates. Tony wouldn't put Pepper in danger, and the rest of the gang… they needed to get love lives.

I looked around as we entered the room. A sweet melody was playing, put there was no sign of our target.

The target, Heukyen Rameriez, was a Spanish drug dealer. We had been informed that a big deal was going on tonight. When I asked why the entire team of Avengers was going, not just Natasha and I, Fury said that there were bombs suspected to have been placed in case Rameriez decided to back out.

We paused for a moment to linger near the bar, before I leaned over and whispered in her ear. To the common person it would look as though I was flirting with her, which helped. "Care to dance, my lovely widow?"

She pretended to giggle to please all the people staring in the room. "Of course," she whispered back. "But if you try anything, I swear on Fury's grave…"

I held back a chuckle and led her onto the floor, finding a spot that wasn't too crowded and turning her to face me. I placed my hands on her waist and she placed hers on my shoulders.

We gently moved around for a few moments before I heard a small beep in my ear. _"Looking cozy, Barton,_" the annoying voice of Tony came out of my ear.

I felt Natasha stiffen, but I beat her to making a sharp retort. "At least I have a date," I muttered, successfully making it look like I wasn't talking at all.

Silence. My lips curved into a grin and I saw Natasha struggling to not to laugh. When the static on my com ceased, I began small talk.

"So, Miss Claire, how is your evening going?"

I caught the glint of happiness in her eyes before they reverted back to a blank expression. "Very well, Mr. Sanderson. And yours?"

We always played this game during these parties. Fake names, teasing, the usual. They were mostly boring and the mission was our first priority, but before hell broke loose we had always tried to have a little fun. The banter had started when we had first been partnered, when I had annoyed Natasha to no end- I still did, she had just gotten used to it- and we had continued the game ever since.

"Delightful. You look beautiful tonight, do you not?"

I saw a blush come over her cheeks, but for once I couldn't tell if it was fake or not. "Thank you."

A snort came to my ears. _"Enough of the romantic talk, you two. Rameriez just walked in,_" Steve said.

I stiffened when I caught sight of him. He was leaning against the bar, but he was staring at Natasha. I leaned forward, putting my lips near her ear. "He's staring at you," I muttered.

As I leaned back she put her lips to my cheek, then pulled away and curtsied. "It was a wonderful dance, Mr. Sanderson."

I smiled, bowing. "On my end as well, Miss Claire. Shall I see you again?"

The quirk of a smile graced her lips as she turned and walked away from me, towards the bar. My eyes followed her as she reached Rameriez and took a stool near him, ever so often sending him a glance.

Sudden laughter reached my ears and I scowled, moving myself off the dance floor. "Stop laughing Tony, you're messing up the mission."

_"Face it, you're jealous."_

I fought the urge to find Tony and punch him. "I'm not jealous."

_"Denial. The clock is ticking, birdie. You're going to lose her to another man."_

"She's not mine to give away."

I leaned against the wall, trying to look as casual as possible as I watched the target slid up to Natasha, eyeing her like a bird eyes its pray.

Okay, maybe I was jealous. Just a tiny bit.

I looked away when he wrapped an arm around her waist, but apparently Tony could see me, and he took this chance to tease me again. _"I didn't know Hawks got jealous. Did you, Steve? What about you, Thor? Huh?" _

_"You idiots know I can here you, right?" _Natasha's voice was smooth, but Icould tell she was amused. I glanced over at her, just in time to see Rameriez try and kiss her.

_God. _

I looked anywhere but my partner, but luckily the kiss didn't last long. Unluckily, the distraction was the exploding of the building.

It was so fast, so quick, I didn't have time to comprehend the shaking before I was blown across the room, hitting another wall and crumpling. There was screaming as everyone rushed to the exit, then men ushering their dates out the door while trying to rescue themselves.

My vision was blurry and I tried to look up, but I couldn't think. The only explanation I could gather was that I was right near where one of the bombs exploded. I didn't know how I was alive at the moment, but I had no feeling in my legs.

There was static, then the urgent voice of Tony came online. _"He's getting away! Where's Romanoff?"_

My eyes widened and I tried to stumble to my feet, but my foot was jutted at an odd angle and my ribs were killing me. I settled for putting my hand to my com. "Nat," I yelled over the screaming people. "Nat, are you there?"

Static. Pure, heart-breaking, empty static.

* * *

My head rested against the pillow, bringing cold plastic to my cheek. It was a small comfort yet none at all, considering how our mission had gone.

Natasha was missing.

My memory of it was fuzzy. All I remember was Steve helping me out the door just before the building collapsed. Bruce had told me I had screamed for Natasha, but eventually passed out under the strain.

I had cracked a few ribs and fractured my foot, but I couldn't feel any pain because the doctors had given me so many sedatives and pain killers. Bruce had been at my side when I woke up, but I remember asking for Natasha. The look on his face had given me my answer.

Fury had declared her missing in action, but I could tell they thought she was dead. About twenty people were killed in that explosion, and they weren't even that close to where the bombs went off. Natasha, according to the SHIELD clean-up team, had been right next to one. They weren't even sure how I survived, and I was a few feet from one of the bombs, a bit further than I had originally thought. A little closer, Bruce had said, and I would be dead.

It was a small satisfactory that Heukyen Rameriez was dead. He had been killed upon impact, promoting the theory that Natasha was dead. It made me want to punch something.

Her com had been found, lying on the ground, but there was no body. That gave me hope and I desperately wanted to believe that she was alive, but I could tell, just by the sympathetic looks that I was given by the other SHIELD agents, that they thought she was dead.

I had done the perfect expression of a spit take- they had give me a cup of water right after I woke up- when Bruce told me how long I'd been out.

Two weeks. She'd been missing for two weeks.

It was killing me that I couldn't do something, but they had assigned people to watch me so to make sure I wouldn't sneak out of the infirmary. Normally I would be able to, nor problem, but they had assigned Bruce and Thor to watch me. If sneaking past the average agent was hard, sneaking past a guy to could turn into a giant green rage monster and a demigod was nearly impossible.

It was officially decided. My team hated me.

Tony had come in a little after Bruce had left. He told me that he was trying to track her or anything remotely related to her disappearance, but nothing had come up. She was either very good at hiding, or she was dead.

His words were blunt and made me flinch, but he had told me that I needed to know the truth. I kept telling myself that she wasn't dead. If she was I would have felt it, I would have known. We were so close I would have known in my gut that she was dead. But that feeling just wasn't there.

Of course, no matter how many times I had told people, they had just nodded and gone along with what I had said. They thought I was in denial- I was, but that didn't mean I liked it- and got out of the room as quickly as possible.

I had woken up a little while ago. Judging from the sunlight it was about noon, and I had woken up around dawn a couple days ago, so she had been missing for… two weeks, two days and five hours.

_I'm screwed._

According to the doctors I wasn't allowed out of here for a couple more days, so my foot could be set properly and they could make sure my ribs were healed properly. I was going so crazy, I was half-hoping that Loki would attack again and give me a reason to get out of here. Half-hoping being the key word.

I groaned and leaned my head against the pillow. My thoughts were a jumble, but one stood out from them all. _Please don't be dead. Nat, I can't live without you. _

* * *

I threw the cards on the table, tapping my fingers against the glass. Tony stared at me in shock, but Pepper, who was hovering nearby, just gave me a sympathetic look.

I wanted to glare and be mad at the CEO, but I found I couldn't. I hated sympathy, just like Nat, but that didn't mean I should be mean.

God, I missed Tasha.

The past few days since I'd been released from medical have been absolute hell. I had finally restored to Tony's insistence that I played cards with him, only to be annoyed when he complained that I was cheating because I always won. I was, with a few tricks Nat taught me, but I sure wasn't going to tell him that.

There was a crackle, then the loudspeaker came on. "Mr. Stark, Director Fury is at the door."

Tony grunted. "What does he want?"

There was a slight pause. "He wants to speak to Agent Barton."

Everyone in the room froze, but my heart leapt. _Maybe they found Nat…_

The elevator doors came open and Fury walked out, his footsteps pounding against the floor. His expression was grim, making my heart drop. _Oh god, please, don't let her be dead… _

"Agent Barton, may I speak to you in the hallway?"

I nodded quickly and stood up, then nearly fell over again. Luckily Tony managed to grab me before I fell and Pepper handed me my crutches. I grunted in thanks and went to the hall.

The moment we were alone I leaned against the wall, not bothering to hide my disgust. "I hate those things."

Normally Fury would have laughed, but his expression remained as blank as ever. "I have news about Agent Romanoff…" he said cautiously.

I wanted to know, yet I didn't at the same time. _Is she alive? Please let her be alive… _"Is she alive?" I asked, voicing my thoughts.

A brief nod brought my heart leaping in my chest, but his next words stopped me cold. "She's not expected to live through the night."


	3. Chapter 3

I knelt by her beside, ignoring the searing pain in my foot and my ribs. I grasped her delicate hand and squeezed it tightly.

No response.

My eyes flickered open and pale and seemingly lifeless form. She looked perfect… "What's wrong with her?" I demanded. "She looks fine."

The doctor cleared his throat, clearly nervous about giving the news to one of SHIELD's most deadly agents. "Well, Agent Barton… when the bomb went off, she was knocked out. It's lucky she was, or she would have been in an incredible amount of pain. According to our information," he paused and looked at his clipboard. "She was rescued by the fire department and taken to a hospital. She hasn't awoken since. The only records from the other hospital state that she muttered things in her sleep."

Fury cleared his throat. "She kept saying your name, Barton. She kept saying 'Clint', over and over again."

The doctor nodded.

I turned my gaze back to my unconscious partner. Her chest rose up and down, but I could tell it was very faint. When I reached my hand to her neck, the pulse was nearly non-existent.

Without looking at the doctor, I asked the one question that had been lingering on my mind ever since Fury had told me that they found her. "How long does she have?"

"Agent Barton-" The voice was gentle, and I hated it.

"How long does she have." It wasn't a question. It was a demand.

I heard footsteps, then felt Fury's hand on my shoulder. "A few hours," he said, his voice gentler than I had ever heard it.

I shook his hand off. My eyes never left Nat's form.

* * *

Eventually I heard the doctor and Fury leave, but I stayed. The back of my mind reminded me that I should probably get a chair our something, but I didn't care.

My mind flickered briefly to the promise I had made a few weeks earlier.

_I started to rub my thumb over our intertwined hands. "Tasha," I said quietly so she wouldn't wake. "In my dream… you died. Loki killed you and I couldn't do a damn thing about it._

_ "I was so scared… it made me realize something. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. You keep me alive, you're the reason I wake up every morning. I couldn't stand to lose you. Ever. I need to promise something." I listened for her soft breathing, then continued._

_ "I'm never going to leave you. Never, not in a million years. Even when we both grow old and die, I'm never going to leave you."_

_ I jumped slightly when a small chuckle ran through the body of the person inside me. "I don't think we're going to live to be old. Not with our profession."_

I recall she never did say that she wouldn't leave me.

She stirred slightly and my head snapped up. I glanced quickly at the clock and realized I had fallen asleep. It was no past midnight.

I watched her closely. Her mouth parted slightly and a small groan came out of her mouth. My heart started beating faster. _She's still alive? _

I heard footsteps. "I'm sorry for your loss, hawk. I know what it's like to lose a person…"

Tony's voice barely registered in my mind. "She's still alive," I muttered.

I heard a sigh, then felt his hand on my shoulder. "Clint, she's not-" Then there was a pause. "Holy crud, she is! Doctor! Get in here!"

As everyone rushed in and Tony pulled me away from the bed so the doctors could check on Natasha, I never moved my eyes from her form. _Come on, Nat. Fight. Fight for us. _

* * *

I placed my head in my hands, tapping my foot. I'd been sitting like this for a few hours, a few days- time wasn't a propriety, so I had lost track of it completely.

"Clint," a voice said.

My head shot up and I frowned. Tony had an excited look on his face, but that was never good. "Is she… is she okay?"

He nodded.

I glanced over and the medical room, where the thick glass gave me a clear view of Natasha. She was sleeping at the moment- hopefully not dead, even with Tony's word, especially with Tony's word- you can never be sure.

Then I saw her eyes fly open.

* * *

I collapsed on the bed, exhausted. Another warm body climbed in after me, placing her head on my chest and collecting my collar with one of her hands.

Her warm, green eyes met mine and she smiled softly, causing my pulse to skip a beat. "Hi," she said quietly.

I swallowed. "I was afraid you were dead. They all thought you were… I never gave up." I leaned my head back against the pillow.

I felt the vibrations of laughter run through her, and for some reason this was comforting. "I'm not going to leave you. Never."

"Good to know. Now, I've been wanting to do something for a while that I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do."

A pause. "What?"

I propped myself on my elbow and used my other arm to pull her closer to me face. The upper half of her body was on my chest and the lower half was lying next to me.

Her breath mingled with mine as I spoke. "Nat… I really like you."

Something flickered through her eyes. "Clint," she murmured. "Kiss me."

"It would be my genuine pleasure."

**THE END! Hope you liked it...**


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